WHY YOU NEED TO BUY TICKETS BEFORE THEY GO OFF SALE!

MAVIS STAPLES RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS HONOUR. PLUS, BRING ST. PAUL AND THE BROKEN BONES BACK TO BLUESFEST AND MORE!

NEWSFLASH: ALL 'OPEN' SINGLE DAY TICKET PRICES WILL INCREASE THIS WEDNESDAY 29TH JUNE AT 10AM BEFORE ALL TICKETS GO OFF SALE VERY SOON

Hello [Name,fallback=Friend],

We hope you all had a great weekend and the weather wasn’t too cold wherever you may be. Our Festival Director Peter Noble and some of the Bluesfest team had an interesting weekend at the Glastonbury Festival in the UK – stay tuned for some of their highlights and be sure to check out our Facebook page for all the latest from Bluesfest.

In ticketing news

The news that we are taking all tickets off sale shortly is spreading rapidly and many of you have taken our advice and purchased tickets while they are at such a great price.

Since the 'Open' Single Day Tickets have been marching out the door at such lightning speed, we will have to increase the price of them once more before the total ticket cut off occurs very soon. All 'Open' Single Day Tickets will be going up in price at 10am this Wednesday 29th June.

We value all of our Bluesfest members and want to give you the opportunity to purchase tickets at the current bargain price before we go off sale – and come back on sale with the first artist announcement at a significantly higher price.

So please be warned: at the current rate we are selling tickets, they will be going off sale shortly.

In music news

Mavis Staples, one of our festival favourites, received some well deserved recognition for her achievements and contribution to the arts last week, it is such exciting news and we are so happy for Mavis - keep reading to find out all about it!

We know how many of you LOVED St. Paul and The Broken Bones at Bluesfest this year and if you want to see them back on the Bluesfest stage in 2017 then keep reading to see how you can help bring them back!

Tickets are as cheap-as-chips, but not for long — CHECK THIS OUT!

Our 5 Day Festival Adult Ticket is currently priced at $445 until we go off sale.

That means you are only paying $89 per day - for up to 12 hours of entertainment for the same price of 22 coffees or 6 takeaway lunches – tickets really are as cheap as chips at the moment!

ALL tickets will be going off sale shortly and once we go back on sale with the first artist announcement, prices will be considerably higher.

We cannot keep selling tickets at the current very low prices and book the crème de la crème level of artists we will be announcing for Bluesfest 2017. It is all about quality artists when it comes to the Bluesfest line-up and it does come at a price!

Take the time to look at the great ticket prices currently on offer by clicking on the link below and if you are not able to purchase tickets upfront now then you can consider our ‘Time to Pay’ payment plan (keep reading for more information on this great ticket payment option).

CONGRATULATIONS MAVIS!

MAVIS STAPLES TO RECEIVE 39th ANNUAL KENNEDY CENTER HONORS!

A big congratulations to Mavis Staples who has been announced one of this year’s Kennedy Center honourees alongside James Taylor, Eagles, Martha Argerich and actor Al Pacino.

Mavis has brought so much joy to audiences at Bluesfest and on tour with us over the years and we couldn’t be prouder.

Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein said; “The Kennedy Center Honors celebrates the spectacular talents of artists whose brilliance has left a lasting impact on our society…Mavis Staples’s unmatched gospel and rhythm and blues masterpieces span 60 years and even served as a musical backdrop to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s campaign for Civil Rights."

Mavis Staples was thrilled to receive the honour and said; "I've performed at the Honors, but I never thought I would be the one actually being honored. My father, Pops Staples, started the Staple Singers back in 1950 by sitting me and my siblings down on the floor and teaching us songs. And I've been singing ever since. To go from such a humble beginning, to singing for and meeting President Kennedy, to now receiving a Kennedy Center Honor is unbelievable. I've been so blessed to be able to do what I love and to touch so many people with my voice.”

Mavis Staples is currently touring North America with Bob Dylan and will be on tour for the rest of the year in support of her recent M. Ward-produced album Livin' on a High Note (ANTI).

Mavis Staple’s artistic achievements will be celebrated on Sunday 4th December 2016 in a star studded ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

WANT ST. PAUL AND THE BROKEN BONES TO RETURN TO BLUESFEST IN 2017?

Our Festival Director Peter Noble is currently in Europe booking artists for Bluesfest 2017 and recently caught up with St. Paul and The Broken Bones in London at their sold out show at Koko before they headed to Glastonbury on the weekend.

A challenge has since been issued to get 1,000 people to say they want them to play at Bluesfest and they will seriously consider returning!

In just five days we have had over 580 likes and 288 comments to bring them back, so lets bring this home!

Judging by everyone’s feedback from their debut performance at Bluesfest this year including TONEDEAF who said, “Without a doubt the limelight-stealer of 2016’s Bluesfest was St. Paul and the Broken Bones”, we think we can make this happen!

Check out their first Single ‘All I Ever Wonder’ from their upcoming album Sea of Noise (to be released this September) and some of their other great tracks here on Soundcloud:

HEAD OVER TO OUR FACEBOOK PAGE AND LIKE THE POST ABOUT ST. PAUL AND THE BROKEN BONES RETURNING TO BLUESFEST AND LET THEM KNOW HOW MUCH YOU WANT THEM TO COME BACK IN 2017!

MEET OUR QUIZ OF THE YEAR WINNER!

We asked Kevin Gallagher, our well-deserved 1st prize winner of the Bluesfest Quiz of the Year a few questions; see what Kevin had to say below and congratulations again to all of our winners!

Interview with First Place Winner, Kevin Gallagher

How many times have you been to Bluesfest?

We have been 4 times – would like to have been more often but work and time commitments got in the way. Making up for that now as we have been the last 3 years and will be there again next year.

What is your favourite Bluesfest moment/memory?

Favourite Bluesfest Memory – there are many. Probably best was seeing my son Matt’s enthusiasm for Michael Franti and Spearhead the first time we went in 2005. However there have been so many ‘favourite times’ - Alabama Shakes – fantastic, George Thorogood – Born to be Bad, REM, Elvis Costello, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers , Graham Nash and of course the Doobie Brothers. Just sooo.. good, Can’t forget Chain and the Backsliders too.

Who is on your artist wish list for Bluesfest 2017?

Wish list for this year – Midnight Oil, Rolling Stones, Santana, Alabama Shakes, Florence and The Machine, REM, Tracy Chapman, Plant and Palmer, Coldplay, U2, Arctic Monkeys to name a few

In case you missed it last week, you can see all the lucky winners and how many answers you got correct by clicking on the link below!

Onstage collaborations are always a bonus at Bluesfest and talked about long after the festival. Bluesfest becomes a meeting ground for many of artists during their long world-wide tours – a place they can feel right at home, hang out with old friends, jam backstage and share a laugh or a meal together.

Bluesfest Artist Alumni Spotlight - Michael Franti and Spearhead. Michael Franti – a name almost synonymous with Bluesfest and Roots music. A seasoned campaigner for the festival, super nice bloke, music fan and lover of Byron Bay, his trajectory at the festival dates back to 1998, performing with his band Spearhead at Red Devil Park.